Upgrading from 5 gal to 10 gal - stocking advice

[MrFantastic74]

Hello all,

I will be upgrading from a 5 gal to a 10 gal tank very soon. I currently have one fancy guppy and two endlers (all male) in the 5 gal, and they have been living happily in there for almost a year now.

I plan on upgrading to a 10 gal very soon and I want to add a few more fish. Can anyone offer some advice on stocking options? Note that I do not want to add any female livebearers, as I have had problems with too much fry in the past. Initially, I was thinking of just adding more male fancy guppies, but then I thought that perhaps that many males would cause problems with aggressive behaviours. I'm curious to hear your thoughts on combinations that would be both harmonious and interesting. The prettier the fish, the better.

Another question: When I finally switch tanks, should I transfer the water from the cycled 5 gal to the new tank, and fill the rest with new water? In my mind, this would be the best option. I use Fluval's bioenhancer (used to be called Nutrafin Cycle) regularly, and will use it again for the tank transfer. Of course, I also use Prime, so no worries there. The fish appear quite healthy, so I don't think there's a risk of disease transfer.

 

[ywagner]

Keep both tanks, and use the media from the 5 to kick start the ten

 

[SpaceFish42]

This will probably help with choosing compatible tank mates. http://www.clubfauna.com/articles/fishaquatic/guppy-tank-mates/
I think that the more fish there are, the less aggression problems, because the fish can't establish a "pecking order" as easily. Also, if you do want female livebearers but no fry, I made a divider and separated my tank into a section for male guppies and a section for female guppies. That way they are in the same tank but not the same area. I hope this helps!

 

[SpaceFish42]

This will probably help with choosing compatible tank mates. http://www.clubfauna.com/articles/fishaquatic/guppy-tank-mates/

I would NOT recommend angelfish though.

 

[MrFantastic74]

Keep both tanks, and use the media from the 5 to kick start the ten

Well, I can't really keep the 5 gal. I barely have the space to upgrade to 10, so that's not an option. By media, do you mean the filter media or the bottom media (gravel). I won't have the same kind of filter, so I can't use the same filter media. I was hoping to use a whole new gravel or sand media for the tank floor too, so I'd rather not landscape with the old stuff if I can avoid it. I will be using the same plants and décor, and adding some new ones. So is using the same water not a viable option?

 

[MrFantastic74]

This will probably help with choosing compatible tank mates. 13 Guppy Tank Mates - ClubFauna
I think that the more fish there are, the less aggression problems, because the fish can't establish a "pecking order" as easily. Also, if you do want female livebearers but no fry, I made a divider and separated my tank into a section for male guppies and a section for female guppies. That way they are in the same tank but not the same area. I hope this helps!

Thanks for the link. I will keep a divider in mind, but think I'll stick with just males. Cheers.

 

[henningc]

Use some of your old gravel under the new stuff. Also use your old filter media. You can add cherry shrimp and maybe a nerite snail. There are also some micro fish such as least killies that would work as well. A female betta might look nice as well.

 

[MrFantastic74]

Use some of your old gravel under the new stuff. Also use your old filter media. You can add cherry shrimp and maybe a nerite snail. There are also some micro fish such as least killies that would work as well. A female betta might look nice as well.

I don't see a way to use the old filter media because I'm changing to a different type of filter altogether. Unless I just let the biofilter drift in the tank for a while...

Does using the same gravel make that big a difference? Occassionaly, I remove all the gravel and clean it and the fish have been fine.

Thanks for the fish suggestions. I have read that female bettas can be nearly as aggressive as males. Seeing as I have a show guppy in there with a very large tail fin, I imagine a betta would see it as a threat.

 

[MrFantastic74]

In terms of stocking, I'm thinking of combinations of the following fish:
- dwarf rasbora
- ember tetra
- additional endlers (males)
- additional show guppies (males)

Note: As mentioned, I currently have one show guppy and two endlers, all males.

Some Options:

A. (3 new fish)
- 4 male show guppies (3 new)
- 2 male endlers

B. (8 new fish)
- 1 male show guppy
- 10 endlers (8 new)

C. Different combination (numbers) of Options A and B

D. (6 new fish)
- 2 male show guppies (i.e. 1 new)
- 2 male endlers
- 5 dwarf rasboras OR 5 ember tetras

C. (8 new fish)
- 1 male show guppy
- 5 male endlers (i.e. 3 new ones)
- 5 dwarf rasboras OR 5 ember tetras

In all scenarios, I will likely add some shrimp as well.

I will have a very green setup, and I think either the dwarf rasboras or ember tetras would stand out nicely against the backdrop. But which of the two fish would you recommend?

Which option would you choose? Any other fish that you would highly recommend? I like colorful fish with a little personality. They can't be nippy or aggressive fish, and I have limited space for schooling fish. Not really a fan of corys, loaches, etc.

 

[SpaceFish42]

I really love zebra danios. Lots of personality, but not large or aggressive.

 

[Pseudomugil]

My stocking recommendation would be:

1 guppy
2 endlers
2 scarlet badis
5 blueberry dhrimp

 

[MrFantastic74]

I like zebra danios, but I think I would need at least 5 of them, and that many would raise the bioload to 100% or more.

I like the little scarlet badis, but I understand they are shy and do better in single species setups.

 

[Pseudomugil]

They're shy in the sense that they won't compete for food. For example, if it and another fish are wanting a piece of food, the scarlet badis will let the other fish take it. If you keep them with guppies though, I don't see a problem as guppies are not aggressive eaters at all.